New to forum

[Moto Moto]

I agree with everything you said, its very frustrating the limited options and tow limit of the FJ. It has the potential to sell like hotcakes if they went with a manual diesel. Good luck with your decisions.

I saw the all new ARB bullbar for the new BT50 today. All i can say is it looks like a completley differnt car (in a good way). Look forward to following your plans mate.

 

[SPARKI]

Will it pull the 17.56.2 ????



Here is the 2011 FJ Cruiser or should I sell it and get a new BT50 for the job....FJ only has a tow capacity of 2250 KGS......ATM on the Jayco will be around 2400KGS.....so I guess ive answered my own question......not legally.

I wonder how many out there do it though....and what the chances of being pulled up for it. I was going to see how the van sits behind...tow ball down weight will be fine as the FJ allows 250KGS.....wondering if I will need a Hayman Reece Stabiliser set up or beef the rear suspension.

Cheers
Grant

 

[Moto Moto]

Mate thats a sweet looking FJ:happy:

For looks and the cool factor keep the FJ. But to stay completley legal (my recommendation would be this), might be time to look elsewhere. I've done heaps of research on all the current dual cab utes for our work, so if you have any questions on where to start send me a PM:thumb:

How about a Prado, very similar to what you have now and much better towing capacity. One of the most popular tow vehicles out there.

 

[SPARKI]

Hi Moto, thanks mate, I like it

I must like different looking vehicles....I quite like the new BT-50...and with a 3.2 L 5 cyl turbo diesel with a massive 3.35t Towing capacity.....I think it would be my choice of them all at the moment...problem is they are 50k before I even start to deck it out with everything, would probably spend another 10 K on it with canopy tub liner, bullbar and the list goes on.....and would need to get 49k plus for the FJ to even consider selling it...just all seems too hard right now....I think the best thing is to wait and see how the FJ looks and goes with the weight of the Jayco, and then make a decision based on that.
Thanks for your input mate
Cheers
Grant

 

[busybusymum]

Hi moto.... I would have rathered a diesel FJ and in Manual would have been nice, I think Toyota got caught up in nostalgia and forgot practical....They could have easily got away with this design with a 3 litre common rail turbo diesel and manual gearbox...they have the format for god sake...I think they would have sold heaps more...hey why not ute...Dual cab ute l I am now torn between supercharging the FJ or just selling it and going straight to a new Bt50...Im sure the fJ will have enough power to pull the new expanda....i cant believe its only rated at 2.25T towing capacity....and adding a supercharger will not fix that....The chassis and power train is almost exactly the same as the new prado....and it has a 3T towing capacity. I love the FJ .....so very comfortable and has all the options and Ive only had it 9 months...really would be a shame to sell it so soon....and yes its different....for the first 6 months, I was one of very few people that had one....still today it gets looks where ever I go......Some people hate it.... some love it....I dont really care.
If I keep it I will post some pics up with the new van en-tow...and thanks for your comments Mate.

Cheers
Grant

New Prado only 2.5 ton towing capacuity - the Landcruiser is 3 ton - that is why we are now considering a landcruiser - especially with our 4 kids

 

[ElectricGuru]

Hey Sparki, welcome. I take it by the name that you are in a certain industry?:wave:

Very jealous with the 17.56-2, we are looking at upgrade to later this year. We are looking to get out to all the places near you in the next few months, any recommendations?

New Prado only 2.5 ton towing capacuity - the Landcruiser is 3 ton - that is why we are now considering a landcruiser - especially with our 4 kids

Hey, I am hearing you with the 4 kids part busybusymum...

We had the Kluger to begin with and were a little disappointed with the towing capacity (2T) since we originally were looking at a larger van. When we were upgrading the tug last year, we were going with a Prado and asked the dealer about the limited towing capacity. They said that it is how they market the vehicles, doesn’t have anything to do with the actual ratings. You want more tow capacity, you pay to upgrade to a higher spec model.

After being stuffed around by the dealer, we went elsewhere and found a Landcruiser 200 series for the right price. I am pretty sure that the towing capacity on our new 200 is 3500 kg braked.

 

[zerosecta]

New Prado only 2.5 ton towing capacuity - the Landcruiser is 3 ton - that is why we are now considering a landcruiser - especially with our 4 kids

3 Door Prado is 3ton If you happy with FJ, then this should be fine for you as well.

 

[zerosecta]

As for beach towing with 56.2......ours weigh about 2.5 tonne. Not sure whether it would tow to well on the beach. Might have to modify some things.
Cheers Deano

2.5ton dual axle Caravan on the Beach LOL.... First change you'll have to make is swapping your Triton for a tractor :wink:

 

[Burnsy]

Hi Sparki, I'm also new to this site (3 days ago), congratulations sound very nice I'd like that for my next van. Solar is something i'm looking into now, enjoy!

 

[Burnsy]

G'Day and welcome to the forum Sparkie, I agree with the above, try and get as much done at factory as everything will be included in your tare weight

Hi Nisspat, just curious are you saying you can have 2 vans the same model on the same chassis and both have different tare weights?

 

[Turtle]

I've got a Prado (2500kg) and also a Hilux (2250kg) towing a 17.56-2 OB.
When I tow with the Hilux I only put a fraction of water in the tanks (say 20l in each) and we wouldn't carry 200kg worth of gear in the van.
I reckon we'd be well under the 2250kg of the Hilux when we do this as we are dropping 140kg of water right from the start.

 

[relgate]

Hi Guys
I am a little confused!
I also have a hilux (2250kg capacity) and am looking at getting a 17.56.2
My big question is about the ATM. No doubt the van ATM would be over 2250kg, but like Turtle says above, I will make sure my actual weight is under 2250kg. TARE for the van should be around 1900kg.
My question is, in NSW, would I still be legal? or does you vehicles towing capacity need to be greater than the ATM?
Thanks

 

[bigman0510]

This might answer a few questions.... or pose some more...

http://www.exploroz.com/Vehicle/Caravans/ChoosingandSettingUpaTowVehicle.aspx

Cheers,

 

[Capt. Gadget]

You would think that as long as you didn't exceed the towing capacity of the vehicle whether or not the trailer was allowed to carry more shouldn't make a difference, but in saying that sometimes there are dumb laws!!

 

[bigman0510]

and obviously a fully laden trailer = ATM.... so as long as your ATM is under you tow capacity your ok.

 

[busybusymum]

Hi Guys
I am a little confused!
I also have a hilux (2250kg capacity) and am looking at getting a 17.56.2
My big question is about the ATM. No doubt the van ATM would be over 2250kg, but like Turtle says above, I will make sure my actual weight is under 2250kg. TARE for the van should be around 1900kg.
My question is, in NSW, would I still be legal? or does you vehicles towing capacity need to be greater than the ATM?
Thanks

I can remember this conversation when I first joined the site- refer to the discussion at this link http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/529-Expanda17.56-2-what-options-should-we-get

 

[Turtle]

From what I can work out, the ATM on the compliance plate is the maximum weight that the van can be and if the van is not loaded to it's maximum capacity and does not exceed the capacity of the tow vehicle when everything is ok.
Whenever I've passed the RTA conducting roadside checks, they have had the portable scales out so they obviously consider the actual weights and not the maximum permissable weights.

 

[dmaughan]

Whenever I've passed the RTA conducting roadside checks, they have had the portable scales out so they obviously consider the actual weights and not the maximum permissable weights.

I thought they were weighing the caravans to make sure that they to not exceed the ATM, i.e. are not overloaded.

 

[relgate]

I just checked the RTA web site. Their language is along these lines:


"The loaded mass of the trailer must not exceed the lesser of:
1. Rated capacity of the towbar and tow coupling
2.Maximum towing capacity of the vehicle
3. Maximum towing capacity of the trailer
4.Maximum rated carryimg capacity of the tyres"

From that I can only assume that ATM is (obviously) your maximum load capacity, but one could also see that if a trailer is only half loaded, then it may be legal to tow it, as long as the towing vehicle is rated for it's actual weight, even if the ATM is higher than the vehicles rating. Long sentence!

Thanks for all your help guys, The 17.56.2 OB we plan to get will have an ATM over our tug's capacity, but, like turtle, I think we will only half fill the water etc and be very careful. When the lease is up on the vehicle next year it might be time to getr something with a higher towing capacity

 

[cruza driver]

From what I can work out, the ATM on the compliance plate is the maximum weight that the van can be and if the van is not loaded to it's maximum capacity and does not exceed the capacity of the tow vehicle when everything is ok.
Whenever I've passed the RTA conducting roadside checks, they have had the portable scales out so they obviously consider the actual weights and not the maximum permissable weights.

So they were checking the weight of vans? Is that what you meant, just curious.